Category History

How did ‘Z’ become the last letter of the alphabet?

 The ancient Phoenicians had an arrow-like symbol in their alphabet. It was the seventh letter, and called ‘zayin’. The ancient Greeks adopted this symbol from the Phoenicians as the sixth letter of their alphabet in 8000 BC. They called it ‘zeta’, and gave it its present form. The Romans adopted it from the Greek alphabet in 100 AD, and Z is the last letter of the Roman alphabet to this day. ‘Z’ is pronounced as ‘zed’ by the British and as ‘zee’ in America. If you are sending a Morse code, you will have to send two dashes and two dots to present ‘Z’! Another interesting fact about ‘Z’ is that it was used to represent the Roman number 2000 in medieval times.

Why Western Australia is considered the last penal colony of Britain?

  Do you know what a penal colony is? It is a settlement of prisoners who have been exiled from their homeland as a punishment, and transported to a far away location. Britain started sending convicts to America from 1597 onwards. The practice was stopped in 1776, with the American War of Independence. British prisoners were sent to Western Australia instead, and new penal colonies were established there. Twenty per cent of these first convicts were women. A system of labour was established in which people, whatever their crime, were employed according to their skills – as brick makers, carpenters, nurses, servants, cattlemen, shepherds, and farmers. Educated convicts were set to the relatively easy work of record – keeping for the convict administration.

 Convicts formed the majority of the colony’s population for the first few decades, and by 1821, there were a growing number of freed convicts who were appointed to positions f trust and responsibility as well as being granted land. Meanwhile, public opinion in Britain was against the establishment of penal colonies, and the practice was abolished in 1860. The last convict ships left Britain in 1867, and arrived at their destination in 1868, 80 years after the arrival of the first convicts in Western Australia

When did the last steam engine run?

In 1804 the first steam-powered engine, carrying some iron, ran in Wales, in Britain. But it was almost twenty five years later, in 1829, that George Stephenson, a British engineer, designed the ‘Rocket’ – a steam engine that created history. Trials were held by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company, to find the best locomotive engine for a railway line that was being built to serve these two English cities. On the day of the trials, some 15,000 people came along to see the race of the locomotives. During the race, the Rocket reached speeds of 24 mph during the 20 laps of the course. This was due to several new design features. The Rocket paved the way for steam locomotives all over Europe, Asia, and America. The era of steam engines is often called the ‘golden age’, of railways. Gradually though, steam engines were replaced by diesel and electric locomotives. The beginning of the end for steam engines began in the 1950’s. America’s last steam engine ran in 1958, while the last steam engine in Britain was retired from use in 1968.The last steam powered land speed record was set on 23rd January 1906, at Dayton beach in the USA, when Fred Marriot, an American, reached an amazing 127.659 mph in his steam powered car

 

Why was the Ford Model T a remarkable car?

 The Model T was a very important car in American history. It was launched on October 1st 1908, by Henry Ford, who had pledged that he would build a car that was cheap enough for anyone with a reasonable salary to buy.

 Henry Ford kept his promise, and the Model T was mostly made out of wooden parts, and had a 4 cylinder engine. It was produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1909 through 1927. Mass production kept the price reasonable and sales zoomed. The car was so popular that the Ford Motor Company sold over 15,007,003 Model Ts. On May 26th 1927, Ford and his son Edsel drove the 15 millionth Model T Ford out of their factory, marking the famous automobile’s official last day of production.

Why will Tsar Nicholas II of Russia be remembered?

  Nicholas II will be remembered not because he was a great ruler, but because he was the last Tsar of Russia. The rulers of Russia were known as tsars, and Nicholas was the eldest son of Tsar Alexander III. He succeeded his father in 1894. Nicholas encouraged Russian expansion in Manchuria. This provoked war with Japan in1904. The resulting Russian defeat led to riots. Nicholas was forced to grant a constitution and establish a parliament, the Duma. During World War I, Nicholas was away from Russia a lot. Russia suffered heavy losses in the war.  In 1917, widespread popular demonstrations began in the capital. Nicholas lost the support of the army, and had to give up his throne. A shaky provisional government was established which was overthrown in October 1917 by the Bolsheviks. On 17th July 1918, Nicholas and his family were executed, and the rule of the Tsars in Russia was over.

Who was the last French monarch?

Louis XVI was King of France when the monarchy was overthrown. His reign was marked by the outbreak of the French Revolution. In 1774, Louis XVI inherited a kingdom that was in grave difficulty. He was sent to the guillotine and beheaded in 1793, and this marked the end of the French monarchy, and the establishment of the First French Republic.

The First Republic lasted only 12 years, before Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France. He was forced to abdicate, and the monarchy was restored with Louis XVIII as king. It survived till 1848, when the Second republic came into existence. The Second republic lasted only four years, before Louis, Napoleon’s nephew, proclaimed himself the Emperor. He was ousted in 1870. This led to the establishment of the Third Republic.